Marvin and Nellie were both...
Illustration
Marvin and Nellie were both retired and itching for something to do. In their daily devotional time they prayed for ideas about the constructive use of their free time. It wasn't too long before they decided that God had blessed them with the skills and inclination to do evangelism calling for their local congregation. It seemed that the Outreach Committee was always looking for volunteers, so they began a modest but enthusiastic program of calling on homes of inactive and prospective members of their church. Shortly thereafter, an energetic training program in evangelism began in the congregation. Some of the participants and leaders in the program were dismayed that Marvin and Nellie did not attend their classes. After all, the class was designed to show how proper calls should be made along with the correct script to follow. Meanwhile Marvin and Nellie were having the time of their lives. They were meeting new people, sharing the happy news of the congregation, enthusiastically engaging people in conversation about everything from salvation to the support groups at the church. And they were seeing positive results from their visits. When participants in the training program complained to the pastor about these two untrained people visiting on behalf of the congregation, his reply was simply, "I wish we had more members like them!" -- Thompson
